Leaders want govt to act on terrorism<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Medan\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian Muslim leaders called on the government on Sunday to
\nact quickly to limit the possible damage in its current row with
\nSingapore over the latter's accusations that Indonesia is
\nharboring terrorists.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization the
\nNahdlatul Ulama, Hasyim Muzadi, said the government had to follow
\nup the accusation made by Singapore's senior minister Lee Kuan
\nYew with further investigation.<\/p>\n
"If he (Lee) has the evidence, the police must act quickly
\nbased on that evidence," Hasyim was quoted by Antara as saying in
\nSitubondo, East Java.<\/p>\n
"If we are not quick, the U.S. will have every reason to act
\nbased on the statement by Lee. In fact, Lee is wrong because he
\nmixed up Islam with terrorists," he added.<\/p>\n
Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid said Lee's
\nstatement was not worth commenting on since it was merely meant
\nto stir up public debate rather than set out substantiated facts.<\/p>\n
"Lee Kuan Yew is entitled to his own opinion. As long as his
\nstatement is meant to provoke a public debate, let him talk. But
\nonce he intervenes in Indonesia's internal affairs, I will
\nmobilize a group of people to uphold democracy in Singapore," Gus
\nDur said in Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday. He did not
\nelaborate.<\/p>\n
Lee said, in a newspaper interview, that Singapore was still
\nunder the threat of terrorism as regional terrorist leaders were
\nroaming around free here, creating the impression that Indonesia
\nwas harboring them.<\/p>\n
His statement irked the Indonesian government, which promptly
\nsummoned Singapore's top diplomat in Jakarta to demand an
\nexplanation from the city state.<\/p>\n
Singapore stood by Lee's statement, stating that it had
\naccurate data on existing terrorist cells in Surakarta, Central
\nJava. It also denied intervening in Indonesia's internal affairs.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Police sent on Wednesday their top detective
\nteam, led by Insp. Gen. Engkesman Hillep, to try and interrogate
\narrested suspects in Singapore and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Arrested suspects in both countries claimed that they had
\nreceived directions from three "Indonesian figures." The
\nIndonesians were identified as Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir
\nfrom Surakarta, independent preacher Hambali, currently on the
\nrun and believed by Singaporean and Malaysian authorities to be
\nin Indonesia, and Abu Jibril, who has been in detention in
\nMalaysia under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since last June.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Police Inspector General Comr. Gen. Ahwil Luthan
\nsaid on Friday that despite having received intelligence from
\nboth Malaysia and Singapore on the three Muslim clerics, the
\nIndonesian Police had yet to see any hard evidence.<\/p>\n
Despite strained diplomatic ties between the two countries,
\nbusiness ties between Indonesia and Singapore remain unaffected.<\/p>\n
Singaporean diplomats and Indonesian businesspeople said that
\nbusiness activities between both countries were as normal and
\nthat the general public in Singapore had not yet expressed any
\nill-feeling toward Indonesians there.<\/p>\n
"Business relations remain good ... we recently went to
\nSingapore for business meetings and everything went smoothly,
\nwithout any problems," Edy, a director of Barelang Woods
\nIndustry, Batam, said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Senior Singaporean diplomat Ajit Singh added that currently
\nthere were no problems with business ties between the two
\ncountries and that Singaporean investors in Batam island,
\nIndonesia, remained in the majority.<\/p>\n
This positive sentiment is, however, not shared by many in
\nIndonesia, who believe the government needs to exercise more
\ncaution in dealing with the issues raised by Lee's statements.<\/p>\n
"A rupture in diplomatic relations with Singapore will have a
\ndirect impact on the sustainability of Singaporean investment in
\nBatam and Indonesia," chairman of the Indonesian Economics
\nScholars Association (Batam Chapter) Haryono said on Sunday, as
\nquoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
There were about 530 foreign investors in Batam island,
\nHaryono said, who represented a total investment of about US$ 8.3
\nbillion, and employed about 170,000 workers. Eighty percent of
\nthe foreign investors were Singaporean citizens.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/leaders-want-govt-to-act-on-terrorism-1447893297",
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